Abstract

A 10-year retrospective study on hydatid disease in Jordan with emphasis on the role of imaging in its diagnosis

Author(s):Al-Radaideh Ali M, Hijjawi Nawal S, Abdelfattah Ali M, Al-Khreisat Mutaz J and Bani-Hani Kamal E

Aim: To investigate the burden of hydatid disease (HD) on Jordanian population during the past 10 years and highlight the most commonly used imaging modalities for its diagnosis.
Materials and methods: Information of 217 HD patients including age, gender, address, organ involved, number and size of hydatid cysts, radiological and histopathological results were recorded from registry offices of four main Jordanian hospitals after receiving the required approvals.
Results: The highest number of HD cases was recorded from the central provinces of Jordan; however, most cases were reported from Al-Mafraq governorate. Ultrasound (US) was the most widely used diagnostic tool for HD. The liver was the most affected organ with HD and the age of most of the inspected patients was in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th decades. Single cyst per organ was recorded in 138 of the cases and large hydatid cysts (>5 cm) were observed in 48 cases.
Conclusions: Besides the awareness and control measures which are implemented by the Ministry of Health in Jordan to eradicate HD, results of the present study indicated that HD is still regarded as an important public health problem in the country. Imaging plays an essential role in the initial diagnosis of HD but not the classification of the disease. However, the definitive diagnosis is achieved after the surgical removal of hydatid cysts and the confirmation of the presence of the hydatid cyst layers is tested by histopathological techniques. Currently, surgery remains the only available treatment approach for HD in Jordan.

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